


Old Habits Die Hard

by UnicornAffair



Series: Emma Gomez-Hart [21]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Parents, F/F, WARNING: Mentions of Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-27 01:54:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21384154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: President of the PTA, Amanda Clark, brings out the worst in Kimberly Gomez-Hart.
Relationships: Kimberly Hart/Trini
Series: Emma Gomez-Hart [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1281236
Comments: 6
Kudos: 91





	Old Habits Die Hard

**Author's Note:**

> Back to this universe :). I've been wanting to return to it for awhile...Amanda's introduction was one I've been sitting on for awhile. 
> 
> Emma will be in first grade during this fic.
> 
> WARNING: There will be mentions of domestic violence in this segment.

With Trini being a teacher at Eastland Academy’s High School, it was up to Kimberly to take Emma to her first day of first grade. Emma was  _ beyond _ excited that she would be moving to  _ full _ days of class. School was an  _ exciting _ place for her, she  _ loved _ learning and she loved being around other kids her age. Emma at her core was a sweetheart, she was thrilled to have the chance to make new friends. 

Kimberly on the other hand, dreaded this, she wished that Trini could take Emma to her class and go about her day. No, now Kimberly would be a little late to  _ her _ work because she had to be apart of this special drop off ritual. With a sigh, she glanced up to the rearview mirror to see her daughter’s face light up as they pulled up to the building. It warmed Kimberly’s heart...this was a special moment. She would only be 6 years old once, and time would flash by. Being late  _ once _ wasn’t going to kill her. 

When the two Gomez-Hart girls crossed the street, Kimberly had to stop them, really savor the moment by asking Emma to stand in front of the elementary building to take a picture. Emma held her bright pink, _Rose Quartz _shield shaped lunch box that she _insisted _on having because it was from her favorite cartoon _Steven Universe. _Well, it was something cute to look back on. The first grader grinned so wide. Kimberly lucked out on this photo, Emma’s two front teeth were there...she would be starting to go through _that_ awkward phase soon. 

“C’mon! I wanna meet everyone!” Emma didn’t want to be the  _ last _ kid in the classroom. The earlier she was there the longer she could make friends. 

Kimberly had to catch up to her excitable daughter, though Emma clearly knew where the elementary school building was...she didn’t know which classroom was  _ hers.  _ This wasn’t kindergarten anymore, Mrs. Fernandez would be her teacher this year. 

For Kimberly, a first day of school meant making the best impression for the other parents that would be dropping their kids off. With the Eastland Academy, the younger building always had new faces transferring in. 8th grade was the time for the  _ big _ choice, either kids moved on with Eastland’s curriculum or they continued high school at a  _ different _ school. Kimberly  _ felt _ the nerves of a first day much harder than Emma did...adults were a completely different kind of jungle. 

Mrs. Fernandez’s room was as expected for Eastland Academy standards.  _ Immaculate.  _ Despite the desks being there for years, they somehow appeared brand new. Emma immediately found her cubby to leave her backpack and lunchbox. Kimberly felt at ease when Emma recognized one of the little boys nearby. Jake Holling was one of the kids that lived in their cul-de-sac. She would have a  _ person _ she could be around...as if  _ Emma _ had a hard time making friends. 

Kimberly had to make  _ small _ talk with Emma’s new teacher, Trini’s co-worker, “Hi I’m Kimberly Gomez-Hart, I’m Trini’s wife” She introduced herself with a smile and a handshake. As the head of marketing for the San Diego Padres, she knew how to schmooze and turn gold out of the mundane. “Emma’s mom” It took a moment, Kimberly glanced behind her to see that Mrs. Fernandez had a stack of gifts behind her. Was she supposed to bring a  _ gift _ on the first day? Trini didn’t mention  _ that.  _ Parents wanted themselves and their kids to be  _ known.  _ Feeling  _ instantly  _ embarrassed Kimberly tried to recover, “I uh, your gift is ... _ coming”  _ How lame would it be get her a gift bag from work? 

Mrs. Fernandez stood a good couple inches shorter than Kimberly. Her blonde hair was cut short as she had a couple of young kids of her own. She wore a light blue cardigan to match the school’s colors with a light grey blouse underneath and a long skirt that went past her knees. “Oh, between you and me…” She leaned closer, keeping her voice soft, “The nicer the present, the badder the kid behaves” Mrs. Fernandez shrugged, not afraid to say  _ that _ out loud. She recognized the Gomez-Hart name, she knew it was safe to divulge that to someone who  _ understood.  _

Emily Fernandez didn’t  _ come _ from money, like  _ many _ of the families who send their kids to Eastland. Her husband Mike was the owner of a Mexican restaurant, if it weren’t for Emily being a staff member her three kids would be going to public school. 

Kimberly instantly felt at ease. She liked Mrs. Fernandez, she was well grounded into reality. Money wasn’t going to buy her over, that was for certain. Emma would be in good hands. “There’s someone I want you to meet” The petite teacher motioned with her hand for one of the adults to come over. 

A tall blonde woman had to snag her son’s navy blue Padres’ baseball cap off of his head. While the color combination matched the uniform, wearing a backwards baseball hat was  _ not _ part of the dress code. Upon seeing a  _ new _ parent in the room, the other woman’s face lit up into a smile. This was someone Kimberly hadn’t...seen before. Her little boy definitely wasn’t at Eastland for kindergarten. 

“Kimberly, this is Amanda” Emily introduced the two women, “This is her first year at Eastland and she is the parent volunteer for the room this year”

“I’m super excited” Oh god. The parent volunteer, that was a duty Kimberly was glad someone else took. Usually it went to a bored housewife whose husband made all of the money and she got to ‘raise the kids’. Tall, blonde, white,  _ beautiful.  _ Yeah. Amanda absolutely fit that bill. The parent volunteer was the one who would make sure families had their participation hours in helping out with school activities. Since Trini was a  _ faculty  _ member, it meant that Kimberly had to be the one chipping in for school events. Oh  _ yaaay.  _ “Kendall 2nd, Chase 1st, Riley K”

“Um” What did that mean? Kimberly glanced to Emily who didn’t look fazed by it. Ugh, half day kindergarten did not prepare her for the languages of the PTA jungle. “I only have Emma, she’s over...there” Kimberly’s face fell for a moment, Emma was far too kind. The little boy, formerly with a baseball cap, went over to Jake and Emma to introduce himself a grin on his face. Chase had the face of a mischievous kid who was up to no good. Amanda probably left Mrs. Fernandez the  _ biggest _ gift for  _ that _ lil’tike. 

Oh good. Emma was already hugging him. 

“Aww how sweet, looks like our kids are already making friends” Amanda cooed, a hand over her chest. “Your little girl is  _ precious”  _

“...Thank you” Kimberly could at least take credit for  _ that _ statement, especially since Trini wasn’t around. 

“Well it looks like it’s almost time for class to start” Emily had a job to do, and hovering parents were only going to get in her way. “Remember, pick up is at 2:30.” It was the nicest way she could say  _ please leave without _ saying those words out loud. 

Great, now Kimberly had to walk  _ with _ Amanda toward the parking lot. The other woman could  _ not _ shut up, “Oh Eastland’s campus is so beautiful, I’m really happy to be here and be apart of this place. Headmaster Udonna is--ugh, she’s great. Have you met her?”

“Yeah, my  _ wife _ is a teacher at the high school” Kimberly stressed the word  _ wife.  _ It was usually a good split second test to judge how a person reacts to a queer individual. 

“Oh, how nice! What does she teach?” Amanda didn’t blink, she wasn’t even fazed by the word, to her it was completely normal. Hm. Must’ve come from somewhere like San Francisco. 

“English” Kimberly  _ had _ to brag about her wife, “She teaches all three levels; standard, honors  _ and _ AP”

“My daughter Kendall absolutely  _ loves _ reading” The other woman gushed about her oldest child, with having three children back to back to back meant that poor Amanda probably didn’t have much of a social life  _ outside _ of kids. “I think sometimes she likes books more than people.” She laughed, it was meant to be a joke, but it was far too early for Kimberly to be at  _ that _ energy level.

Upon hearing a  _ very _ too familiar screech, Kimberly was quick to put her arm out to prevent Amanda from stepping any further.  _ Rita Moran _ was  _ late _ and she did  _ not _ pay attention to any of the school zone warnings. In her  _ bright green  _ sports car she zoomed into the parking lot.

“Thaaaats not safe” Amanda stood there shocked. What a demonic woman. Kimberly was far too used to it, the children knew to avoid the Moran house entirely. 

“C’mon we’re going to be late” Rita barely let her daughter, Gia, out of the car when she threw her  _ Frozen _ lunch box at her. Gia had a pair of fast hands and was able to catch it with the smallest  _ oof. _ “Let’s go little shit, mommy doesn’t have all day”

“I love you” The little blonde girl reached up to hold her mother’s hand as crossing the street could be dangerous. Rita’s motherly hand hold was more of a  _ snag.  _

“Yeah yeah yeah love you too, whatever, don’t drag your feet” Rita was  _ not _ in the mood to be up this early, all she wanted to do was drop the kid off and have her freedom back. 

“Oh my god how awful!” Amanda watched in horror as Rita entered the school, headed  _ right _ for Mrs. Fernandez’s class. “Who is that horrible woman?” Oh ho, Amanda she was going to have quite a challenge trying to tell Rita what to do in the future. Kimberly, for one, would look forward to watching  _ that _ conversation. 

“I uh” Kimberly had two choices here, lie or tell the truth. Going with her gut, she shrugged her shoulders, “...I have  _ no _ idea…” It was the first day. Kimberly did  _ not _ want to be associated with  _ that.  _

*****

Kimberly may not have prioritized the PTA or  _ volunteering _ for the class. In her mind it was ridiculous. Not that they  _ had _ to pay tuition for Emma to  _ go _ here but they should be exempt from having  _ ‘mandatory hours’  _ what the hell was that? Trini spent more than enough time grading papers for  _ three levels _ of English classes. That didn’t count. It was up to Kimberly to be involved with enriching her daughters school experience. Putting it  _ that _ way didn’t make it sound  _ so _ bad.

Every year Eastland Academy hosted a fall “harvest festival” it was a social event from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm filled with fun activities for both the elementary and high school to enjoy. Amanda Clark rose through the ranks and put  _ herself _ in charge of not only Mrs. Fernandez’ classroom but becoming the president of the PTA. 

Having drove in from San Diego proper, Kimberly was a bit late for the  _ mandatory meeting.  _ Ugh. Kimberly wanted to roll her eyes when she got that email. Who did she think she was? Didn’t she realize people had to  _ work.  _ Not everyone could simply throw money around and call it a day.

“Big ticket item, a must, I will provide the hayrides” Mrs. Summer Landsdown was in a similar position. Her wife Aisha was a teacher at the school, so as the  _ other _ parent she was responsible for the PTA hourly duty. Of course, with Summer being  _ Summer Landsdown _ it meant she had a bit of wiggle room. She didn’t want the title of president, but  _ no one  _ was going to say no to a woman who has a building on campus named after her. “Kids love it”

“Okay that leaves clean up” Amanda concluded, clapping her hands together. She was standing at the front of the classroom. “And the only parents  _ not _ signed up for anything is Rita Moran and Kimberly Gomez-Hart. Oh perfect, there you are Kim”

“Clean up?” Really she could have done anything else,  _ anything.  _ Ugh. If she had gotten there earlier she would gladly be the one who sat at the front of the festival to take money in exchange for tickets. She glanced to the board to see that the position had been filled by Mia Shiba. Ugh! Couldn’t she have volunteered for  _ both _ of them? “The fall festival is  _ huge _ that’s way more than a two woman job” 

What she really wanted to say was, wasn’t that for the custodians? The ones who were paid to clean up the campus  _ every day.  _

“I can help with cleanup too” Mr. Holling volunteered, he was already  _ up _ on the board under  _ bounce house.  _ “I don’t mind staying extra if it means less of a headache for someone else” Put a bunch of kids and teenagers in one place, and some  _ horses _ it wasn’t fair to the custodial staff. “Emily and I can drive separately”

“Perfect! Thank you for stepping up” Amanda clapped on the young man, there was no way in hell she was signing  _ herself _ up to stay longer. “I think that about wraps up, we should be getting started for set up next Wednesday. We’re going to have an amazing time this year”

*****

_ “We’re going to have an amazing time this year”  _ Kimberly seethed with annoyance, repeating what Amanda had said to Trini. The couple were about ready to go to bed, but Kimberly had too much energy to even  _ try _ and lay down to sleep. “Can you believe her?”

“Yes?” Trini heaved out a sigh, she was tired from looking at papers all evening. Exhausted by the same prompt twenty something different ways. “It sounds like she’s just doing her job”

“No it sounds like she has nothing better to do, and she’s punishing the people who have  _ real jobs.  _ Not stay at home mommy duties.” Kimberly huffed, the bitterness in her blood flowed  _ strong _ tonight. “Like, I’m  _ sorry _ I have to come in from the city”

Trini paused, sitting up slowly, approaching this issue with caution, “Didn’t the other parents have to come in from work?” A silent pause, “Did you  _ forget _ about the meeting?”

“I have better things to do!” Kimberly was the  _ head _ of the Padres marketing after all, so she may’ve forgotten about the meeting… “Rita did the right thing by not showing up at all. Amanda is  _ such _ a bitch.”

“I think you’re being too hard on her.”

Kimberly frowned, why wasn’t Trini indulging her? “I think you’re  _ my wife.  _ Whose team are you on? The PTA  _ robot _ or me? You know I’m right about this.”

“Except you’re not.” Trini held the bridge of her nose, “I am stressed out enough as it is at work, do you think it’s  _ my _ job to go  _ another _ extra mile? I think it’s great that parents have to step up. They should be more involved not everything has to be on the shoulders of the  _ teachers.”  _

“That’s….” Crap. Kimberly had to mentally take a couple steps back, “That’s not what I mean”

“Let  _ go _ Kim.” Trini didn’t want to start a fight right before bed, she just wanted to point out to Kimberly the importance of parents at school functions. “I don’t think Amanda’s that bad.”

“You haven’t even met her, if you did,  _ you’d know.”  _ Kimberly gestured with her hands, “It’s the  _ way _ she talks to people, and ugh, has this fake ass excitement for everything. Oh my god the clapping.” Kimberly started to pull her bratty voice,  _ “Oh thank you for volunteering Mr. Holling”  _ A roll of her eyes,  _ “I’m Amanda”  _ She started to pretend to flick her hair over her shoulder,  _ “Me me me me me”  _

“What are you, twelve now?” Trini asked, frowning. No she hadn’t met the other woman, but it was clear that Amanda was getting under Kimberly’s skin if she was behaving like this. “Just ask her to make the meetings a little  _ later.”  _

“Let me have this, Trini.” Let her vent, and be bitter about the annoying PTA president in the peace and safety of their bed. 

*****

At the end of the day, these events were supposed to be for the children. The Harvest Festival had the highest attendance Eastland Academy had ever seen. With Kimberly on clean up duty, she had the opportunity to actually  _ enjoy  _ the festivities with her wife and daughter. Rita’s approach to the whole thing was showing up at the very end, so Kimberly and Trini had to watch Gia as well. Trini and Kimberly could drink hot cider while the kids hopped on the back of a hayride with the Landsdown women. 

Maybe Trini was right...maybe she was being too hard on the PTA mom. She pulled off an incredible job.

The only bone Kimberly had to pick was with one of the ring toss games giving away  _ goldfish  _ as a prize. Trini and Kimberly watched in horror as Emma approached them with a plastic bag filled with water and a fish inside. What in the hell were they going to do with a  _ fish?  _ Trini and Kimberly exchanged a glance, Emma was far too excited and happy to the newest addition to the Gomez-Hart household that they didn’t have the heart to say  _ no.  _

Kimberly would bare the burden of clean up duties if it meant that her wife and daughter had an amazing, stress free time. Gia would simply sleep over their house tonight, as this clean up job was going to take awhile. Parents who ran their own entertainment stands were responsible for taking them down, so really it left changing out garbage cans and making sure the parking lot was picked up. Ugh. Popcorn  _ everywhere.  _ Working at a ballpark, Kimberly knew the struggles of the custodial staff after a ball game but...she never had to  _ deal _ with it herself. Talk about a humbling experience. 

Kimberly had expected Rita to complain about having  _ clean up  _ duty, but the other woman was all too pleased. Having to work clean up meant neither of them had to interact with other people, they could get their stuff done and then go grab a cocktail…if Trini wasn’t going to indulge her, Rita most certainly would.

“You weren’t  _ at _ the meeting, but ugh. That woman really rubs me the wrong way” 

Rita shook her head, “Look, if anyone understands how to put the game face on it’s me. I know how this works” As a realtor, Rita Moran was top rated in her area. She could draw up a contract and fight like no other, clients absolutely adored her. Then again, they never see her outside of trying to make a  _ sale.  _ “PTA? Woo, and I thought  _ I  _ was crazy. Please, it’s all about having that power trip she can’t get at home.”

“Y’think?”

“Of _course. _She has _three_ little demons? And a husband you’ve never seen? He’s the _money.” _Eastland Academy for _three kids_ was not cheap. “If you don’t have the money you don’t have the power. She’s gripping hard onto PTA life because that’s the only sense of control she can get. Sooo” She took a long sip of her martini, “She’s gonna make our lives hell”

_ Finally _ someone who understands what Kimberly was trying to say. In a moment of cattiness, Kimberly laughed, “Do you think they even  _ have _ sex?” 

“Oof, not any  _ good _ sex” Rita couldn’t help but let out a hardy laugh, she had a blast out and about with Kimberly. They could have  _ fun,  _ without the kids or the misses they didn’t have to worry about a mouth filter. “You think  _ that _ woman’s  _ ever _ had an orgasm?”

“Ha! No wonder she’s so good at being fake!” Kimberly checked her phone to see that Trini had texted her, “Oh aw, Emma and Gia are asleep” She could turn from totally talking about a woman behind her back to cooing about her child, “Oh you should’ve seen them at the festival, they were holding hands and going everywhere together”

“You could not  _ pay _ me to go to one of those. Unless there’s a hard cider in the mix, I’m out” Rita needed the alcohol if she was going to spend all of that time surrounded by  _ children.  _ “How many stupid hours do we have left?”

_ “Twelve”  _ Kimberly groaned, and that was only for this half of the semester. Once January hit and the new semester began their total was going to wind back up to the top. A reset. “Next opportunity we have is the first grade play”

“Do the kids sing?”

_ “Mhmm” _

“Yeah, fuck that, I’ll double up somewhere else” Rita reached over to pat Kimberly’s arm, “Good luck Kimmy” She wasn’t going to touch  _ that _ one with a ten foot pole. 

*****

Amanda was open to the suggestion of holding the PTA meetings a little later for the parents who had to come from downtown San Diego to return to Reefside. It was appreciated. Kimberly could at  _ least _ give her the credit for that. Having arrived to a meeting on time, Kimberly volunteered to help paint sets. She loved having a creative outlet. Bonus, it would have  _ nothing _ to do with handling a large group of kids. Kimberly could come in on a Saturday, paint some fake trees, get her hours and call it a day.

Unfortunately for her, Amanda Clark had the  _ same idea.  _ It would be the two of them assisting one another on this task.  _ Great.  _

The tall blonde set her tree down as close as possible to Kimberly’s, despite looking a bit tired, she wanted to have a conversation. To try and connect with another parent at the school. Only she didn’t realize how much her very presence irritated the other woman, “So what part did Emma get?”

It was far too early on a day she had off, Kimberly had to take a deep breath; compose herself, and put on a smile. As much as she didn’t  _ like _ Amanda, she wanted to stay on her good side. A scored president of the PTA? Oof. 

“Um, I believe she’s a bluebird” A part that didn’t get many lines, probably for the best, Emma was awfully shy when there were lots of people around. 

“Aww, how adorable” With Summer Landsdown volunteering herself and her wife on  _ costuming,  _ all of the kids were going to look their best,  _ “Chase  _ is a bumblebee” Amanda was quick to start laughing at the realization, “Oh the  _ birds _ and the  _ bees”  _ She had to emphasize her tone, as she wasn’t close enough to physically nudge Kimberly, “We better watch out, Chase is a little ladies man”

_ Oh. No.  _

*****

“Trini she did that  _ thing,  _ that straight women do” Another bitch fest in bed it was, Kimberly  _ really _ needed her wife to see just how awful of a person Amanda was, “Ugh,  _ Chase is a little ladies man”  _ A roll of her eyes, “Birds and bees we better watch out” Kimberly bitterly recited with a mocking tone, “As IF Emma would ever  _ go _ for that. Ugh. I hate when parents push sexualities on their kids, he’s  _ six.  _ Let them be their own people” _ _

Trini sighed. Kimberly  _ knew _ this kind of thing irritated her wife. Trini hated the gendering of kids toys, colors, god damn gender reveal parties. They both watched Zack go through his transition and none of it was easy, society wasn’t  _ easy.  _ It started young, it started with stupid comments coming from parents. “It’s a bad joke” An  _ old  _ joke. It would be hard for anyone  _ not _ to try and make something of the opportunity. Birds and bees. That was just  _ asking  _ for a bad joke to be made. 

“It’s  _ offensive”  _ Kimberly shook her head, “You know I’m right about this one”

Amanda Clark sucks, and Kimberly hoped that Trini was starting to see that.

*****

One night, Emma was practicing her math at the kitchen tables. While first graders didn’t have  _ much _ homework, Trini wanted to make sure that her daughter was ahead of the curve. Once students hit high school, expectations of success skyrocketed. Best to stay ahead. Kimberly glanced over her daughter’s to see how she was doing, only for a bright green piece of paper sticking out of Emma’s workbook to catch her eye. “Sweetie what’s this?”

Little Emma gasped, dropping her pen immediately so she could pull the green piece of paper in question out of it’s hiding place. “Chase is having a birthday party! And I’m invited!” She shoved it up in the direction of her mom so she could read the fine print, “Can I go? Can I go?”

Kimberly took invitation in her hand to look it over. Ugh, how tacky. The form was filled in a dinosaur theme. The print looked absolutely cheap from the PTA  _ president.  _ Honestly, Kimberly expected much more out of Amanda. That was when Kimberly noticed the address of said party...she didn’t rent out some sort of space, she was throwing this at her own house. “Mmm”  _ Parents Welcome.  _ Amanda must’ve invited Chase’s entire first grade class, “Oh Em, I’m sorry...we  _ may _ be busy this day” Kimberly felt guilty as Emma’s face started to fall, sad that she might not get to go.

Trini overheard the conversation from the living room and frowned, she  _ knew _ they didn’t have many plans. Was Kimberly really going to be  _ this _ petty? Sure, whatever, Kimberly may’ve had some issues with Amanda; but Trini was going to be damned if that meant Emma was going to be missing out on a  _ birthday party.  _

“Let me see” The shorter woman entered the kitchen and leaned over her wife to see the dates...more importantly to see if Kimberly was full of it. “You can go” Wanting to be the bigger person, Trini continued,  _ “Mom  _ and I will come too” Kimberly had to do a double take in surprise,  _ what? _ Hm. Maybe  _ now _ Trini would see what Kimberly saw in the blonde. An awful woman.

“Yaaaaay!” From zero to one hundred, Emma’s face lit up with utter excitement, “Can I bring Goldielocks?” 

_ “No.”  _ While Kimberly and Trini didn’t see eye to eye on the Amanda issue, they could agree on one thing. That damn goldfish was not going to leave this house. The only time it would leave it’s bowl was for cleaning. 

*****

To attend Eastland Academy, it didn’t matter where a student came from. A private tuition meant that there were no zoning districts. According to the invitation, Amanda didn’t even  _ live _ in Reefside but in the neighboring town of Stone Canyon. A wonder in itself. The public school districts out there were famous for being severely under par, so in that sense it was a no brainer to send her kids all the way to Eastland. 

Amanda greeted the two women with open arms, hugging each of them and allowing Emma to join the party. So far, Trini and Kimberly were the only adults to stay while most of the other parents saw this as a golden opportunity to drop their kids off with someone else and take some personal time away from their kids. Rita certainly took advantage of it, as Gia was already  _ there.  _ To say Amanda was overwhelmed with a group of 14 kids was a bit of an understatement. 

“Don’t worry, I know exactly who to call” For a  _ boy's _ birthday party, three women being the ones to entertain wasn’t the most ideal in Chase’s mind. Trini stepped away so she could make a phone call to her best friend Zack to see if he was available. As of now the party was out of control.

Embarrassed about the presentation of her home, Amanda apologized,“I’m sorry the house is such a mess right now”

“Oh it’s fine!” Kimberly understood how it  _ could _ be...a mother’s job wasn’t easy. She followed Amanda around the house, taking this opportunity to look around at how the woman that annoyed her so much lived. The first thing she noticed off the bat...there were no pictures hanging up on the wall, in fact, there weren’t many decorations at all. 

Amanda stopped at the staircase, her only daughter was sitting down on the steps, avoiding the kids entirely. She would much rather read than engage in the other kids, Kendall wanted nothing to do with her younger brother’s party. “Kendall…”

The little girl didn’t budge.

“Kendall” Amanda repeated with a heavy sigh, before resorting to,  _ “Morgan!” _

It was at the other name the brunette child’s head popped up, snapping to full attention, “What?”

“Go enjoy the party.” Amanda motioned to the chaos of the other room, “Or at least try to get them outside”

“They’re not going to listen to me” Kendall, a grade older than Emma was smart enough to know she was out numbered. Most of the attendance were the boys, at this time girls were still icky. “Can I just go in my room?”

_ “No” _

A pause. The second grader closed her book, a single eyebrow raising, “Can I shoot them with the Nerf gun?”

“Only if you take it outside” That was the first time Kimberly witnessed the little girl genuinely smile. Kendall handed Amanda her book and slowly went up the stairs to grab one of her younger brother’s heavy duty Nerf guns. 

“Um please, make yourself at home” Amanda turned back to Kimberly, the normally organized put together woman was disheveled. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Don’t worry about me” Kimberly shook her head, “You’re doing a great job, focus on them” A great job, ha, right. Talk about an utter  _ mess.  _

Trini returned to the pair of adults with a confirming nod, “My friend Zack’s going to stop by, he’s good with kids. We won’t be so outnumbered with him around” She chuckled, Zack would have the energy to play  _ with _ the kids out in the backyard. 

“Thank you so much” Amanda genuinely appreciated all of the help, “I just...wanted him to have a good party, y’know?”

This was much different than wrangling up the PTA. Here Amanda seemed to have  _ no one _ to support her. Where the hell was her husband? Something wasn’t adding up.

“Of course” Trini laughed, “I grew up with two younger brothers so I  _ get it.  _ Boys are chaos” A comment that made Amanda laugh and agree. 

With the doorbell ringing, Amanda could excuse herself from the conversation. The host of the party was relieved that the pizzas she ordered had finally arrived. 

“Look at this house” Kimberly kept her voice low, clearly she was disappointed to see how the other woman lived. A part of her felt a sense of glee at Amanda not being this perfect preppy PTA monster. She clicked away on her phone to text Rita, she was  _ sure _ the realtor would get a kick out of  _ this  _ place.

Trini was disappointed, shaking her head, clearly Kimberly wasn’t  _ getting it.  _ “Who the hell are you right now? Because I don’t like her.” Trini spent far too many nights listening to Kimberly  _ bitch _ and  _ complain _ about one Amanda Clark. Things she said, things she did. Nothing she would ever do would be  _ good _ in Kimberly’s book. Everything she did seemed to only irritate her further and further. 

_ “What?”  _ Kimberly kept her voice low, she couldn’t possibly let Amanda or any of the kids overhear how much she disliked her. 

“This isn’t high school anymore.” Was the only dagger Trini needed to throw to make Kimberly think about her actions this past semester. The last time she behaved this way, she was a cheerleader...at her worst self. 

Chase’s birthday party had to be put first, the  _ kids _ having a good time had to be put first. Kimberly had to put her pettiness aside for the time being in order to help Amanda make sure every kid had a piece of pizza, that their drinks wouldn’t go everywhere. Trini helped out by picking up the living room, the last thing she wanted Amanda to have to do after a tornado of kids came through was the after-cleanup. When Zack finally arrived he took the kids outside and organized some games for them to play. It was no more shooting Nerf pellets at one another. Instead, he taught them all an important game for childhood memories... _ capture the flag.  _ Amanda’s backyard made for the perfect battleground. 

“He’s really good with kids” Amanda admired from inside the kitchen, she had taken the time to watch this stranger interact with her three kids. “Is he um…” She glanced over to the two women, unsure  _ how _ to phrase the question, “Is he Emma’s, like, sperm donor?” Amanda did  _ not _ want to say the word father as that was a whole can of worms of an implication.

Oh if only she knew Zack’s truth, but that wasn’t Trini or Kimberly’s place to tell.

“No, we adopted Emma from the Philippines.” Trini explained, “It took us a couple of years but, oh the waiting was entirely worth it” While the process to adopt a child wasn’t  _ easy,  _ especially one outside of the US...Trini and Kimberly couldn’t be happier now. “Zack’s practically like an Uncle to her, we’ve been friends since high school”

“Mmm, I see” She turned back to her two guests, the only parents that elected to stay with her. “Could I interest you ladies in some coffee?”

Trini glanced over to her wife, the coffee snob, her expression said it all.  _ Be good.  _ “Sure, that sounds nice” 

“Please, it’s the least I can do...thank you so much for staying and inviting your friend to help” Amanda returned to the kitchen to start preparing some fresh coffee for them. “I’m really lucky to have you as a friend, Kim”

_ Friend?  _ Kimberly  _ hated _ Amanda. How in the world did this idiot blonde think that Kimberly remotely liked her? Let alone would call her a friend? How...pathetic…all they did was spend time volunteering for the school. Kimberly didn’t  _ want _ to be there, she  _ had _ to be there...

“Oh uhm” Kimberly didn’t know  _ what _ to say. All that played back in her head were the comments she made to Rita behind her back...her Amanda impressions, how she almost didn’t want Emma to  _ come _ to this party because of her. “Of course”

It was as clear as day to Trini that Amanda was going through a rough time. The house in Stone Canyon, no sign of her husband...there was something completely off about all of this. “You can call us if you ever need anything” If Trini was right in her assumption, Amanda was alone trying to raise three kids...that wasn’t easy. 

“I really appreciate that” Amanda started to pour each of them a mug, Kimberly recognized the set from Walmart. How was she affording Eastland Academy? “It’s been a really tough adjustment this semester”

Kimberly felt her stomach twist, guilt was  _ not _ a friendly emotion, “Where  _ is _ your husband?” Trini snapped her head in her wife’s direction. There could’ve been a more tactful way to bring up  _ that  _ up. Trini worked in the school, she had seen  _ many _ different families and structures. 

“That’s…..” Amanda wasn’t sure  _ how _ to answer that, her hand shook as she rested the mugs down at the kitchen table. “Complicated” She glanced out to the children outside, they were all laughing, having a good time with one another. If there was no husband in the picture, it meant that she was the only adult around. The other PTA parents didn’t stay...no one stayed but Kimberly and Trini. She had no outlet, no one to talk to. Personal life doesn’t come up when planning a bake sale. 

“If you need to get it off your chest...you can talk to us” Trini was always much better at this sort of thing, it was part of why she made such an amazing teacher. “Whatever you say we won’t tell anyone, this is a safe space”

“Okay…” Amanda sat between them at the kitchen table, staring down her coffee. “I originally moved here from Los Angeles” Kimberly frowned, that was  _ not _ what she said at PTA meetings. Amanda strung a nice tale of San Francisco...not LA. “I know, I lied. I had a good reason...my  _ husband... _ he um, was very charming. I wasn’t quite making it as a model I thought I would, and he had his dreams set on becoming a famous entertainer. A magician. He wanted to be the next Chris Angel. I know, it sounds kinda lame but...he was  _ good _ he put on a  _ performance.  _ I became his assistant and for a couple of years everything was great.”

“I had to step down from being his assistant once I got pregnant…” It took a certain  _ body type _ and a pregnant Amanda wasn’t exactly what audiences wanted to see. The saw a woman in half illusion would turn into a straight up horror show. “Money wasn’t coming in the way it used to and…” She closed her eyes, this part was harder for her to explain, “He was facing a  _ lot _ of pressure trying to support the kids” Kendall, Chase, Riley...there wasn’t a break. 

“He became a real Jekyll and Hyde situation...I never knew who would be coming home. The sweet man, or...a monster…” Amanda couldn’t even take a sip of her coffee, “He would get aggressive with me…” She swallowed, hoping that much would be enough for the two women to understand , “I was terrified of my own husband, but I felt trapped...where was I supposed to go with three kids and no money?” 

“The moment he touched Kendall was when I was done...I had to do something, anything to get distance from him. So. One night when I knew he would be out late I packed the kids up and ran away…” Her thumb started to tap against the coffee cup, it was enough nerves for Trini to reach out and hold her arm. “I changed our names, rented this house out from a third cousin. I didn’t want there to be any trace of “Sarah Heckyl” anymore. We became the Clark family...a common last name that’s hard to find...the kids will get used to their new names eventually”

Kendall. Chase. Riley...those were all new identities. 

“My aunt got me a meeting with Headmaster Udonna...I told her everything and the grace of her heart she allowed the kids in on a special scholarship. I had to be responsible for getting them to school every day, they had to keep their grades up…” She looked to Kimberly, knowing, but with tears in her eyes, “I know I can be a  _ lot _ but...I owe Eastland  _ everything” _

Well, Kimberly certainly felt like the biggest asshole at this table. All of this time she had been making fun of a woman who was clearly going through the worst years of her life. Over something so petty like the PTA. “I am so sorry” To Amanda, Kimberly sounded like she was apologizing for her less than ideal situation, but Kimberly meant so much more. Trini was right, she was being a brat. She was being  _ childish.  _ She was reverting to old habits. Kimberly was the one who was in the wrong this whole time.

Kimberly took the moment to get up out of her chair to embrace the woman she once vilified. This went  _ beyond _ a stupid school play or a bakesale. “You have us okay? You are not going to have to face this alone” 

The kitchen door opened and Zack stepped inside, needing a break for some water. He instantly felt like he was interrupting something as Amanda was on the verge of tears, “Hey, is everything okay?” Zack was the type of person whose heart ached when he saw others in pain, always the selfless one. “What happened?”

Kimberly, Trini and Zack had gone through  _ so _ much as friends. Coming out, having to deal with Trini’s family coming to terms with Trini being with a woman, Zack’s transition...they got through the worst of their times by sticking together, by supporting one another. Kimberly got so wrapped up in her job, her money, her status as the wife of an Eastland Academy employee that she couldn’t see the bigger picture. She let the petty voice in her head take over everything, she lost sight of how much she had grown. 

“Yeah, it’s okay” Trini stood, she always acted as the protector, Amanda was vulnerable and to her...Zack was a complete stranger. “Here” She took it upon herself to get up and get a glass of water for him. He may’ve been a young firefighter, but he was outmatched by first graders. 

“Sorry, I’m okay...I’m fine” Amanda was brave to start a new life, hitting the ground running and while she was burning fuel...everything she did was for those three kids to have a better life. “Thank you guys for everything”

Trini, Zack and Kimberly all shared a knowing look. She wasn’t going to feel alone again. 

*****

Kimberly arrived at the next PTA meeting as early as possible, she wanted a moment to talk to Amanda without her wife standing right there. She had felt guilty about the way she was acting behind the other woman’s back, Amanda didn’t have a clue the venom Kimberly was even capable of. It was rotten, it was mean, but now all Kimberly wanted to do is step away from that and be  _ better.  _ No more falling into bad habits.

“I saw that Chase was wearing a Padres hat the other day, he like baseball?” 

“Not as much as Riley does” Amanda laughed, “They love the Dodgers” It was hard to completely cut their ties from their former life in Los Angeles. 

“Here” Kimberly handed Amanda a set of four tickets to special suite seats at Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres...and her place of employment. “For his birthday, a chance for you all to go out somewhere nice”

“Oh my god...you didn’t have to do this, these must’ve cost a fortune” Amanda had a hard time accepting the gift, “Really, everything you did at his party was enough”

“It’s fine, seriously, I get them through work all the time. One of my clients backed out” Oh it was totally a lie, but if Kimberly made it seem like not a big deal Amanda would be more likely to  _ take _ the gift. She wanted to give the family a nice night out, away from their home. Kimberly felt like she needed to do  _ something,  _ “Have  _ fun”  _

“Thank you” Amanda smiled, truly feeling like she had finally found a friend in the Gomez-Hart family. “Are you excited for Eastland's Holiday Craft Show? I have such big plans”

“I am” Having the negative notion going into the PTA meeting put a sour taste in anything, it was a state of mind. It was time to let go and have some  _ fun _ with it. “And I know she won’t the meeting, but Rita Moran is already geared up for the food service roll” 

_ “Really?” _

“Mhmm” Kimberly lied through a smile, writing Rita down on the sign up sheet. “She  _ loves _ customer service”

“Perfect!” Amanda had no idea what  _ hell _ they were going to give the realtor. Rita was already pissed off that because of Amanda, speed bumps were littered all around the campus. Now with Kimberly on her side? The duo were going to be a  _ force _ to be reckoned with.

Kimberly learned an important lesson about herself. While she made strives throughout the years to be a better person...that part of her was  _ still there _ beneath the surface; and she’d be damned if she let it win again.


End file.
